Rodriguez bats for reinstatement of death penalty to curb corruption

BUTUAN CITY, AGUSAN DEL NORTE, Philippines — Former Executive Secretary now senatorial aspirant Vic Rodriguez has called for the reinstatement of the death penalty to address corruption and drug-related offenses.

Rodriguez, a lawyer and former executive secretary to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., proposed amendments to the plunder law, lowering the threshold for corruption charges from P50 million to P5 million.

“Reinstating the death penalty will serve as a strong deterrent to the rampant corruption under the current administration,” Rodriguez said during a press conference on Tuesday at Woodstock District Restobar here.

Rodriguez said imposing capital punishment on government officials convicted of plunder would be his top legislative priority if elected to the Senate. “The P5 million threshold is a reasonable baseline,” he said, warning politicians who might oppose the measure.

“I will present this to the Filipino people so they can see which politicians support or reject it. If you enter public service with no intent to steal, then you have no reason to oppose this amendment,” he said.

Rodriguez cited laws in neighboring Southeast Asian countries that impose harsh penalties for corruption and illegal drugs, including cases involving prominent business figures. “In these countries, government officials fear the law and citizens respect it,” he said, referencing a Singaporean-Iranian individual sentenced to death for drug trafficking and a Vietnamese billionaire punished for corruption.

The senatorial candidate also criticized the recently approved 2025 General Appropriations Act, which he claimed prioritized infrastructure programs over essential services. He took issue with the P12 billion budget cut for the Department of Education (DepEd) and the lack of funding for PhilHealth.

“This move is unconstitutional,” Rodriguez said, citing Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which mandates the state to “protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and take appropriate steps to make education accessible.”

“What happened here? Over P1 trillion for public works, yet P12 billion was slashed from the education budget?” he asked.

Rodriguez also criticized the P500 billion flood control fund allocated by Malacañang, calling it ineffective and tainted by corruption. He pointed to the devastation caused by Typhoon Kristine, which claimed over 200 lives, as evidence of misused funds.